Method of getting a hydroaeroplane off the water into the air



G. H. CURTISS. METHOD OF GETTING A HYDRUAEROPLANE OFF THE WATER INTO THE AIR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2, I922. 1,420,610.

Pawnted June 20, 1922.

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[(1 1 A TTORN G. H. CURTISS. METHOD QF GETTING A HYDROAEROPL ANE OFF THE WATER INTO THE AIR.-

APPLICATION FlL ED MAYZ, 1922.

Patented June 20; 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- INVENTOR. GLENN Ham-ass.

I ATTORNEY and floating on UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GLENN H. CURTISS,

& MOTOR CORPORATION, YORK.

or eAnnnNcrrY, NEW YORK,

A CORPORATION OF NEW METHOD OI GETTING A. HYDROAEROPLANE OFF THE WATER INTO THE 'AIR.

Original application filed August 22, 1911, Serial No. 1922. Serial of Getting Hydroaeroplanes Off the Water Into the Air, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in hydroaeroplanes and more particularly to the method of getting such a craft oif the water into the air.

There have been variousspeculative sug gestions of machines for flying from the water into the air and againalighting upon the water; but prior to my invention no one had succeeded in either building a successful machine or in accomplishing this purpose.

This application, which is a division of application Serial No. 645,340, filed August 22nd, 1911, is directed to the operating the machine upon the water in such manner as to :reduce the resistance of the water to the forward travel of the machine, to increase the air lift, and to reduce and overcome the suction of the water upon the machine in breaking same from the water. v

The invention will be set forth in the claim.

In the drawings, which show the preferred form of my invention Figure 1 is a perspective view from the front, parts havingibeen omitted in order not to complicate the drawing;

Figure 2 is a side elevation; and,

Figure 3 is chine.

The machine shown constructed so as to becapable of landing the water and of being driven. forward by its own power in contact with the water, at a speed sufiicient to cause the lift of the air to be greater than the weight of the whole machine, in order that the machine ma rise out of the water and fly in the air. n-the drawings I have shown an aeroplane or he'avier-than-air machine provided with floating means to support the same on-the water, and other constructions by which this result may be accomplished. The aeroplane proper is subor surfaces, 1

rock back and forth.

method of a'top plan view of the main the drawings is one Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 2( 1922.

ASSIGNOR TO GURTISS AEROPLANE OF GARDEN CITY, NEW YORK,

645,340. Divided and this application filed May 2,

stantially which is now well known. It comprises an aeroplane surface suflicient to support the whole machine in the air, and which is preferably split up into two superposed areas and 2, connected by spacing posts 3 and 4. 5 'is a front substantially horizontal rudder ivoted at 6 to the frame the ordinary Curtiss machine, 1

and rockable on its pivot by a manually movable device under the control of the operator, such as a lever 7 located infront of the operators seat and pivoted at 8 to -9 is a connecting bar pivoted at its ends to and tothe lower end of the said post 7. 10 and 11 are fixed" horizontal surfaces at the rear, and 12-43 are substantially horizontal elevating rudders pivoted. to. the fixed surfaces at 14. 15 is' a vertical rudder pivoted to the fixed surface. 16-17 is the bed for the engine 18. This engine may be the well known C'urtiss 5O horse-power, 4 cycle motor. 22-23 are substantially flat ailerons located between the surfaces 1 and 2 and are preferably pivoted to the rear posts4 1. These ailerons maybe thrown in opposite directions by the operator by means which will be hereinafter. described, in order to restore the equilibrium of the machine in flight through the air. The elevating rudders 5, 12, and 13 serveto direct the course of'the machine up or down as desired, or to tilt it up or down on the water, and the means by which they may be operated will also be more particularly described hereinafter.

Carried below the aeroplane surface 2 and fixed thereto by braces 24, 25 and 26, is a floating means adapted to support the machine on the water. In the preferred form of my invention shown in the drawings this floating means consists of aisingle' water-tight boat 27, flat on top and bottom and upwardly inclined at its forward underthe elevating plane 5- across the boat. The surface 28 andbottom are hydropaning surfaces indicated by the dotted line 30, and preferably extends somewhat forward of the aero: plane proper and to the rear of the propeller 21, and alsoto the rear of the center of control of the"operator for raising the wheels out of the waterwhen the machine is floating, and for depressing the same" at will. Such means will'not be herein set gravity of the machine. It will be obvious forth in detail.-

I case its length from the leading edge. The

projection of the boat forward of the wings, as shown, places its central portion opposite the region of the center of aeroplane lift, and therefore its own center of lift in advance-thereof. I prefer to divide the floatingmeans into separate compartments by transverse partitions which prevent any water which may leak in from flowing back and forth in the boat. In order to prevent either side of the planes from coming in contact with the water during travel through the water, Ihave provided at each side thereof devices acted on by the rush of water-at positive angles of incidence in order to give a lift to either side which may be depressed. These are preferably upwardly inclined devices extending slightly into the water when the machine is at rest and supported wholly by displacement, and which, when the machine is at full speed, barely touch the water. In the embodiment shown these devices are narrow blades 39 and 40 of flexible wood which, in traveling over the water, stand in the position shown in Figure 1. If either side of the machine tips downward, the blade on that side touches the water and through the lift exerted by the rush of water, straightens up the machine to substantial "equilibrium. This operation, in the embodiment shown, takes place without any necessary action on the part of the operator, and therefore constitutes an automatic stabilizing means.

The inclined portion 28 of the boat is one form of hydro-surface which is adapted, if it should first strike the water as the machine descends, to tilt the front of the machine upwardly as it alights on the water, in order that the sudden resistances offered 3y the water may not cause the machine to 4.5 and 46 are wheels constituting the preferred form of means for supporting the machine in travel in contact with the earth,

if the machine is desired to run over the earth also. They are hung from the machine and project slightly below the lower surface of the boat, as indicated in Figure 2. In order that they may exert less resistance when the machine is moving through'the water, I have provided means under the The elevating rudders 5, 12, and l3 are pivoted on transverse axes 6 and14. Each of the rear rudders carries a post 63 extend ing above and below it, and from the upper end of each post a wire 64 leads to the: lever 7 below its pivot, and from the lower end of each post 63 a wire 65 leads to the lever 7 above its pivot. Consequently, when a the lever 7 is pulled backward toward the operator, the connecting bar 9 causes the wind at a positive angle of. incidence both rudders 12 and 13 to be tilted up to a negative angle of incidence. Consequently, the action of the air on the rudder 5 tends to elevate the front of the machine, and the action of the air on the rudders 12 and 13 tends to depress the rear of the machine. Obviously, movement of the lever 7 in the opposite direction has the contrary. effect. The ailerons 22-23 are preferably located substantially midway between the surfaces 1 and 2, and therefore are not so much affected by the deflection of the air currents caused by the impingement of the air on said surfaces 1 and 2, as said ailerons elevating rudder 5 to be presented to the:

would be if they where hung directly trol of the operator for throwing the ailerons to opposite angles of incidence, I have provided connections therefrom by which the operator may tilt them in either direction, and preferably simultaneouslyin opposite directions. This, in the embodiment shown, comprises a lateral movable device, such as a shoulder frame 70, pivoted to the seat 71 by connecting bars 115, 116, and 117 by which the frame may be moved from side to side, and carrying pivoted to it a rocking arm 72 with wires or ropes 7374: and 7576, said Wires being attached to theprojections or posts 77 78 on the ailerons.

Assuming the machine to be resting on the water, the floats 32-33 will support either side of the machine which tips downwardly. After raising the wheels 45-46, the engine is started, which will drive the machine through the water. As the boat lifts somewhat as the speed increases, they (the floats 3233') will barely touch the water so long as the machine is in balance laterally. The rush of the water against them exerts a lift, and depression of one side of the machine causes the blade on that side to enter the water to an extent proportional to the amount of depression, and the other blade will rise out of the water. The blade in the water exerts a lift due to water rush against the inclined surface which will restore equilibrium, and the lift decreases as equilibrium is approached. The machine will therefore automatically be kept substantially horizontal. The action of the inclined surface 28 on the boat causes the machine to tilt upward somewhat, and the fiat undersurface of the boat and the downwardly inclined surface29 thereof causes the machine to be left in a not seriously disturbed condition and prevents the machine from burying, that is, tipping unduly downward at the rear. When the speed of the machine over the water is sufficient, the operator pulls the lever 7 backward, which tilts the'front elevating rudder to a positive angleof incidence, and the two rear elevating rudders to negative angles of incidence, and the machine rises out of the water. It will thus be seen that the machine is driven forwardby its air propeller with the hydroplane surface giving an increased'lifting effect as the speed is increased and thus raising the machine towards the surface of the water, thus decreasing the relative resistance effect of the water on the machine, and while the machine is thus traveling 'partly lifted up on the water, itsspeed continues to increase to approximately flying speed. When approximately flying speed has been attained the operator manipulates the controls and thereby rocks the machine longitudinally as previously explained to obtain a greater angle of incidence of the air lifting surfaces, such rocking at the same time tilting the forward end of the hydroplaning surfaces upward as stated, thus decreasing the extent of water engagement thereof. The increased angle of incidence thus obtained effects an increase in air liftsufficient to overcome the combined effect of the weight of the machine and the suction incident to disengaging the hydroplane surface from the water, and thus lifts the machine into the air free from the water, and it is then operated as crease as the speed increases until the machine rises to the top ofthe water, in which position the weight of the machine is supported jointly by hydroplane lift and air lift, thesupport due to displacement havin by this time been substantially eliminate When the speed 0f themachine reaches approximately flying speed, the longitudinal rocking action takes place to break the machine from the water, in which event the entire weight of the machine is supported by air lift alone. I

I am aware that various modifications may be made in my invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the same, and I therefore-do not desire to be limited to the preferred embodiments herein shown.

What I claim is The method of operating a hydroaer'oplane on the water to eflect flight therefrom into the air, which consists in driving the hydroaeroplane machine at suflicient speed on the water to cause said machine to hydroplane to partly lift itself up in the water to reduce water resistance, and while thus hydroplaning, rocking the machine longitudinally to produce, through such rocking action, an aeroplane lifting effect of sufficient magnitude to overcome the suction encountered in breaking the machine from the water and to support the entire weight of the machine.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

GLENN CURTISS. 

